Keep Your Friends Close and Spot Conlon Closer
by TheQueenOfBrooklyn
Summary: Okay so this is my story that I started in Newsies Needed, but I had to put it here. So... Join Brooklyn and all her friends, Brooklyn and Manhattan newsies alike. A story filled with romance, friendship, drama and surprises at every turn. Rated T just in case. Enjoy and please review.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

_**Hi, again. It's been awhile… so this is the first chapter of my story that I have yet to have a proper name for. Well anyways… I got some great OCs that I will be using, but most of them will be coming into the story over the next few chapters. So yeah… Oh! And special thanks to SugarBubbleGum for helping me write this chapter! :)**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies**_

September 1897: Brooklyn

Kayleigh's P.O.V

Tuesday morning, I hovered on the corner of 45th and Second. I had hoped my escape from home had been an unnoticed one. I sighed. I thought I was sure about doing this. Last week I was sure. I'd been living with my stepfather and stepbrother for years, not asking myself whether I should run away or not. With my own courage, I was able to admit to myself that I wanted to run away.

Of course, that was before . . . everything. Now, I felt more like a puppet than ever. One minute, I wanted to run away. The next, I wanted my normal, good-girl life back, the life where I ran around outside for hours, snuggled with my mother and father, and spent hours playing with my old tag dolls. And then I wanted the freedom to pursue my own interests all over again. Except . . . what were my interests, aside from running away?

I left the corner street and walked through the dimly lit side streets on shaky legs. The streets were crammed with carts, all selling various items. I turned down an alley and tried to calm down. Then I paused, suddenly aware that someone was looking at me. Across the alley, I saw two older boys leaning up against the brick wall. Their state was so intense, they didn't even blink. My skin prickled and heat rose to my cheeks. The taller boy smirked and turned to whisper something to his friend. The other boy laughed, glanced at me, and whispered something back at the boy. Then they both snickered.

I hid behind another alley wall.

This was another reason why I wanted to run away - so I wouldn't have to spend every day at home with two men in my life who abused me. It used to be no one who abused me, until my stepbrother had turned to drinking.

I pushed into an empty alley that led to a dead end.

"Where are you going?"

I whirled around. The two older boys had followed me into the alley. "Hello." I tried to smile. "How are you?" I asked, hoping they would leave me alone.

They were dressed in bowler hats, complete with cruel stares and evil expressions. "Youse is pretty polite, doll face." The taller one replied nastily, his voice echoing off the alley walls. "Why is a cute little goil like youse all alone?"

I shrugged, inching away. "Yeah, well, I guess I was just taking a walk."

"Really? Youse was taking a walk? Youse look more like a runaway to me." The shorter boy said.

I looked away. "I ain't lying."

"Right." The taller one took a step toward me.

"Think what you want." I turned for the street. "I ain't scared of you."

The shorter boy furrowed his eyebrows. "No?"

I stopped. "No, I ain't."

"We'll have to change that, then." The taller boy tilted his chin. "But . . . we may have to soak ya. You being a run away on our territory is a terrible crime."

"I'm not a run away," I said through my teeth.

"Oh yeah?" One of them said, taking a step closer. "Prove it, baby cakes." His nostrils flared in and out.

I barked out a nervous laugh. I'd never been in this situation before. The boy lunged forward, wrapped his hand around my wrist, and pushed me against the wall.

I breathed in sharply. The boy's breath was hot on my neck and smelled like whiskey. "Stop it," I whispered, trying to squirm away.

The boy needed just one strong arm to hold me down. He pressed his body up against mine. "I said, prove it."

"Please, stop." Frightened tears came to my eyes. I swatted at him tentatively, but his movements just became more forceful. He ran his hand up my chest. A small squeak escaped my throat.

"There a problem?"

The boys suddenly backed up. Behind them on the far side of the alley stood a boy gripping a slingshot. I squinted. Who was that?

"It's none of your business, Conlon," my assaulter said loudly.

"What isn't any of my business?" The boy stepped closer. He wore red suspenders and a grey newsboy cap.

"I said stay out of it." The mean boys twisted around.

My hero's eyes moved down to the boy's hand on my wrist. He nudged his chin up the mean boy. "What's going on?"

The two evil boys glared at me, then let go of me. I shot away from the two assailants, and the two thugs stormed out of the alley. Then, silence.

"You alright?" The boy asked.

I nodded; my head down. "I think so."

"You sure?"

I sneaked a peak at the boy. He was taller than me, and his face was high-cheekboned and blue-eyed gorgeous.

My knees felt wobbly. "I have to go," I mumbled, my arms trembling. I try running, only to trip over my own feet and fall into him, sending us against the wall. Shit. It is then that I realize my skirt is caught on his slingshot. I try pulling, as the boy watches with amusement, the bastard. I roll my eyes as he tries to get it unhooked. "If you can't get it out, I'll just take my skirt off." I said, bluntly.

His eyes widened, and then he grinned wider. "Is that a promise?"

I rolled my eyes again. Finally, my skirt comes loose, but it tears... all the way up to my knees! "Oh my God!" I yell, covering my mouth with my hand in shock at my skirt.

The boy smirks and scratches his head. "Well, hey, it looks nice," he says, smiling weakly.

I shoot him an equally weak smile. "Um, thanks."

"Youse alone?" He asked, keeping his eyes on my now exposed knees.

"Depends, why do you wanna know?" I asked, crossing my arms. The boy broke into a smirk.

"You know, I could use a girl with your kind of nerve. The name's Spot Conlon, Ise the leader of the Brooklyn newsies."

I nodded. "I'm sure you are. Anyway, I need a job and if you can provide one for me, I will do something that will make you happy." I said really fast.

The boy grinned. "Okay, you can be a Brooklyn newsie, but now you have to make me happy."

I thought of what I could possibly do. "They say the poorest are the happiest."

At this, the boy smiled and said, "Then marry me, and we'll be the happiest couple alive."

I smiled at his humor. "I'm only eleven... How about I'll give you a penny?"

Spot held up his hand. "And I'm only thirteen. Don't refuse it, dolly. Just accept the offer of being a newsie."

I sighed. "Fine, I'll be a Brooklyn newsie."

He smirked. "You know what that means?"

I shook my head.

Spot leaned forward. "You're a Brooklyn Newsgirl, I'm a Brooklyn Newsboy, and we're going to have Brooklyn children."

I shoved him away. "Yeah, that's not gonna happen."

He laughed. "Kidding! No, but seriously, come on, I'll teach ya how to be a newsie."

Narrator P.O.V.

Kayleigh twisted her light brown hair into a side braid awkwardly while she waited for Spot to go buy his papers from the Distribution Center.

"Hey." Someone stood over her.

Kayleigh looked up. "Hi."

A girl of about her age stared back at her with dark straight hair and dark eyes. She had a smart look to her, and grinned. She offered her hand. "My name is Samara O'Malley, better known as Wings. You?"

Kayleigh straightened, and shook the waiting hand. "Kayleigh Elissa, call me Brooklyn."

Wings smiled warmly and nodded. "New to town?"

Kayleigh, now Brooklyn, shrugged. "Not really." This girl seemed trust worthy enough. "I ran away, and Spot saved me..."

The girl looked over at Spot buying his papers, and leaned in closer. "You holding up okay?"

"Yeah. You?"

Wings shrugged. She gave a surreptitious glance around the circulation desk, which was full of Brooklyn newsies eager to buy their papers. "I'm not really supposed to be here. I'm from Manhattan territory, one of Jacky-boy's."

"Jacky-boy's?" Brooklyn asked, raising her eyebrows.

Wings shook her head. "He's the leader of the newsies over in Manhattan. You won't tell I was here, right?"

"Nope." Brooklyn avoided Wings' eyes. She'd made a friend and now her said friend wanted her to lie for her. "I won't tell."

"You're a hero," Wings smiled brightly, hugging Brooklyn tightly.

I'm really not, Brooklyn wanted to say. She chewed on the inside of her cheek.

"You're alright, kid." Wings took a step toward the sidewalk.

Brooklyn watched Wings walk towards the bridge, wondering what she was doing in this borough anyway. A cold sweat covered Brooklyn's body.

"Brooklyn!" Someone called behind her.

She twisted around to see who was calling her, and she tripped over some barrels. All of a sudden, she found herself on the ground.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" A voice called.

Brooklyn opened her eyes. Standing over her was Spot Conlon. He had his newsboy cap pulled low, so his face looked shadowed and hollow.

She yelped. This morning's incident with the Delancy Brothers, as Spot called them, kept coming back to her. Spot's face, his frustrated expression. How he just looked at the boys, and they had backed off. And was it a coincidence that he'd been walking through the alley at that moment, or had he been following her?

Spot crouched down. "Let me help you."

Brooklyn pushed the barrels off herself, cautiously moved her legs, and then looked at her knees to inspect the long, harsh scrape on her shin. "I'm fine."

"You dropped this back there." Spot handed Brooklyn her silver locket her real father had given to her before he died. It had a small photo of her mother and father inside.

"Um, thanks." Brooklyn took it from him, feeling uneasy.

Spot frowned at the scrape. "That looks kind of bad. You want me to take you back to the lodging house? I think we might have some bandages . . ."

Brooklyn's heart pounded. First her abusive family, then the run in with the Delancy Brothers, and now this? Why was he helping her, anyway? Wasn't he supposed to be too tough to care? "Really. I'm okay," she said, her voice rising.

"Can I at least walk you to the lodging house?"

"No!" Brooklyn yelped. Then she noticed how much blood was gushing out of her leg. She despised seeing blood. Her arms started to feel limp.

"Brooklyn?" Spot asked her. "Are you . . . ?"

Brooklyn's vision warped. She couldn't faint right now. She had to get away from Spot. And then everything went black.

When she woke up, she was lying on a soft bunk bed in a small room. A bunch of small bandages crisscrossed the scrape of her leg. She looked around woozily, trying to get her bearings, when she noticed who was kneeling by her.

Spot smirked down at her. "Boo."

Brooklyn screamed.

"Whoa!" Spot paused and held his hands in the air, a gesture that said 'Don't shoot!' "Sorry. I was just playing."

Brooklyn sat up. "What are you doing?" Brooklyn screeched. "Where am I?"

"You passed out," Spot said calmly. "From the blood, maybe. I didn't know what to do, so I lifted you up and carried you back to the lodging house. You're in my room."

Brooklyn glanced at her feet. Spot picked her up? Like, in his arms? She felt so freaked, she felt like she was going to faint again. He could've done anything to her.

"Take me outside," Brooklyn cried. "I can walk around."

"But . . ."

"Seriously. Let me leave."

Spot helped her stand and faces her. She wobbly stood, and then fell. The corners of his mouth dropped down and his eyes widened in concern. "I didn't mean. . ." He ran his hand through his hair. "What was I supposed to do? Leave you there?"

"Yes," Brooklyn said.

"Well, um, I'm sorry then." There was no way Brooklyn could walk without wobbling, they both knew it. "'Come on," Spot said. "I'll take you back outside."

Maybe she was overreacting. There were a lot of people who could easily kidnap her if she was all by herself. She sighed. "Um, I can stay here. If you want."

He stared at her for a minute. One side of his mouth curled up into an almost-smile. The expression on his face said, Um, okay, crazy girl, but he didn't say it.

He lifted her back in his bed, and Brooklyn quietly inspected him. His blue eyes just looked deep and brooding. She thought of how he saved her from the Delancys that morning. She wanted to thank him, but what if he asked more about her past? What would Brooklyn say? 'Oh, they were giving me a hard time because I ran away from home.'

Brooklyn finally thought of a safe question. "So, you're the leader of Brooklyn newsies?"

"Yep," he answered. "Most famous and respected newsie in of New York, from Queens to Harlem."

Queens. Brooklyn's whole body, including her toes, tensed. She tried not to show any reaction, and Spot stared at his slingshot, seemingly unaware that she was nervous. Queens had been her old home, where her father and older step brother had hit her countless times. "And, um, where were you before Brooklyn?" She asked.

Spot stared at her, shifted uncomfortably, and then shook his head. "Sorry, girlie. I don't do back stories. However, I am becoming very interested in yours."

Brooklyn sighed. "Me either." Something inside her began to thaw. Spot seemed sort of . . . relatable. And nice. Before she could say anything else, the other newsies began climbing up the stairs to their bunk rooms.

Spot stood up. He pulled the worn sheets up to Brooklyn's chin, their fingers touched. A little spark went through her. Spot looked at Brooklyn for a moment, and she looked down at their fingers. She pulled her hands away.

"So, uh, rest up. I'll see ya later..." Spot said, walking toward the door.

Brooklyn's head shot up. "W-Why?"

Spot turned to her. "Well, I have to come back to my room sometime."

"Oh," Brooklyn answered. "Of course."

As Spot left the room, she felt her heart slow down. For some crazy reason, she'd thought Spot was going to kiss her. But this was Spot. The two of them together was about as likely as . . . as, well, them being together.

_**Please Review and tell me what you think! It will make my day! :)**_


	2. Chapter 2: A Birthday Morning

_**Okay so here's the second chapter. :)**_

_**Disclaimer: Didn't we go over how I do not own Newsies**_

Chapter two: A Birthday Morning

November 1899: Brooklyn

Kayleigh's P.O.V

"Shut the hell up, Flash!" I could hear Spot whispering to Flash, one of the only other three girl newsies in Brooklyn. They really never give up do they? Ever since Spot found me, they've been waking me up with a small cake once a year from my birthday.

Same old; same old. I never did eat the tiny treat they gave me. I told them they were wasting their money, but they never listened.

There was a clatter and I resisted the urge to flinch. Flash groaned. "Nice goin Navy, youse gotta be quiet." Well it looks like they got Navy in a good mood and he decided to tag along this year.

Good god they are horrible at being quiet. "Both of you shut the hell up before she wakes up." Spot said a little closer to me this time. I felt my bed shift as he sat down.

He brushed my light brown bangs out of my face and lightly shook me. "Wake up Brookie." he whispered softly in my ear. His warm breath tickled my ear but I fought the urge to smile.

I groaned and put my pillow over my head.

Flash grabbed my pillow and whacked me with it. "Get up Rookie!" Flash yelled at me.

"My name is Brooklyn, Flash. Not Rookie." I shook my head but refused to open my eyes.

"Then why do you let Spot call you Brookie?"

"Because, 's the leader, and 2.I'm his goil." I smiled and without even looking at Spot, I knew he was smirking.

He leaned forward and kissed me and I instinctively kissed back. When he pulled away I finally opened my eyes and ice blue met ice blue. I sat up.

Okay; getting down to business. I looked at Flash, her dirty blonde hair made her look like she was just attacked, and her light blue eyes looked at me innocently. I glared at her, innocent my butt. "Happy birthday Brooklyn!" she smiled.

"Thanks." I replied. "I especially loved your attempt of getting me out of bed." I said sarcastically.

"My pleasure." she said.

I looked over at Navy he, who sat on Spot's bed across the room from mine. His brownish-blonde hair was neat, as normal, and his light green eyes just wandered me and Spot's room.

"Mornin' Navy." I said with a smile.

"Happy birthday Brooklyn." he said with an equal smile.

Yes I got a smile out of him, he must really be having a good morning.

"Happy birthday Brooklyn!" A voice said from right behind me. I spun around so fast I thought I might fall over. It turned out to only be Tabby.

"Oh, Tabby it's just you, you scared me." I said as I gave her a hug. She smiled at me making her green eyes light up. She had her light blondish-brown out of her cap, a rarity.

"Sorry Brook." I rolled my eyes but smiled.

"Hey where's Rosie?" I asked.

"She went for a visit in Manhattan. We'll see when we get over there." Flash said.

"Oh god." I said. "Another visit for dear old Mouth." I rolled my eyes. "I swear Rosie and David are as bad as me and Spot and they aren't even dating yet."

Spot pulled me into his lap and put his head on top of mine. "How old are you now Brookie? 14?"

"Yup. 14 and loving it already." I smiled and kissed him. "So what's it like being 16 Spot?"

He chuckled and kissed me.

"Right and we're leaving now." Flash said as she, Navy, and Tabby quickly left the room.

We laughed and kissed again. He pulled his arm around me. "Kid, don't grow up too fast on me." He said, a teasing air to his voice.

I grinned. "You're older than me,"

He leaned in and kissed me again. "Ew," we heard a small voice say. We looked over to see Princess, Spot's little sister, covering her eyes. "You two still, uh, busy?"

I smiled and outstretched my arms to her. She jumped in them, and hugged me. I was like the mother she never had, which was true. Her mother had tried to drown her when she was younger and Spot had stopped her. Princess squirmed over to her brother. Spot put his cap on her head. It sunk low over her eyes and she giggled. I tackled the little girl and began tickling her on Spot's bed.

Spot shook his head. "You two are so weird."

Princess grinned. "You used to tickle me, Leam." She said, using her brother's real name.

Spot rolled his eyes and smiled. He picked up his sister and swung her in the air, making her giggle. He then began tickling her uncontrollably. Then with his free hand he grabbed me and began tickling her too. Princess and I both shrieked with laughter, and then we got revenge by pinning him down and tickling him. Spot's laugh was something someone rarely got to hear. He finally called truce and we got up. I went into the washroom to get dressed. When I came out I found Spot brushing his little sister's golden hair, and then skillfully braiding it. She was laughing at some fairy tale he was telling her about some girl and a glass slipper. I rarely got to see the cute brotherly moments he shared with her. I even felt tears come into my eyes. He finished the little girl's braid, and began tying her shoes. Then he helped her put on her little dress and picked her up. He looked at me. "ready to go carry the banner?" He asked.

I smiled and took his free hand. "Lead the way."

_**I'll try to update ASAP…**_

_**Please Review!**_

_**xxBrooklyn**_


	3. Chapter 3: Flashback 1

_**Hi again! Nice to see you or talk to you or write to you or, well you get what I'm trying to say. Here's the third chapter, and the next few chapters are going to be flashbacks intertwined with real time from different people's views, so if they are boring, I apologize so very much…**_

_**Disclaimer: no still don't own them.**_

Chapter 3

_***Flashback***_

_January Brooklyn 1896_

___"Makena I'm cold." Makena's 4 year old brother shivered against her and tried to bury his face more into her long and wavy dirty blonde hair._

_Makena surveyed the snow covered ground with her blue eyes. It was the coldest it had been for the six months they had been on the streets. After the fire that had killed their parents they had left Manhattan and been living on the streets of Brooklyn to avoid the refuge and orphanages. They were currently in an ally trying to find warmth._

_"I know Michael." She said to him and pulled him closer. She heard footsteps at the end of the ally and pulled her brother closer to the wall with her behind a few crates._

_"C'mon Jacky boy." one boy's voice said. He sounded about eleven._

_"No Spot. I ain't going down no allies with you." A boy that sounded about thirteen said._

_"Jack be nimble. Jack be quick. Is Jacky boy afraid? Or is he sick?" She peeked out to look at them. They were at the end of the ally and the shorter boy was putting the back of his hand on this 'Jacky boy's forehead. Makena could see the older rolling his eyes and pushing him away._

_"I ain't scared Spot. But I did tell Buster that I'd keep his second out of trouble."_

_"Who? Oh. You mean me. I'm fine. C'mon." Jack shook his head. "Please."_

_"What did you say?"_

_"Ah c'mon; you herd me and I ain't gonna repeat myself."_

_"Whoa stop the presses, Spot Conlon just said please!" he shouted._

_"Shut your-" Michael coughed loudly before Makena could cover his mouth and the boys stopped and looked down the ally._

_They stopped their joking. "Who's there?" the Spot called._

_"Stay here, don't move. Don't talk. Don't make a sound. Got it?" She whispered to Michael._

_"Got it." he nodded his head._

_"Hey I said who's there." damn he was impatient._

_Makena stood up. They saw her and walked towards her. "Catch me if you can." she yelled. Makena was around the comer in a flash and she heard one set of footsteps behind her. _Wait. What! There were two boys, where's the other boy? Michael!_ She thought. "Oh God save my brother." Makena whispered under my breath. If there was a god, maybe he could save her brother. She turned two more sharp turns and wound up back at the ally. There was the older boy and her brother talking and not in a serious tone either. Suddenly Makena felt someone grab me._

_"Gotcha Flash." The deadly whisper came from the mouth of the shorter boy she had seen and mistakenly forgot about. Makena sighed and he turned her around. "What do we have here? A couple of spies?"_

"_No Spot actually-" Jack started._

"_No!" Makena snapped. "I'm a ten year old girl. That's four year old is my brother. We're on the streets. We're not spies. Do I have to break it up more for you? Or can you figure it out?"_

"_Same story with the little boy Spot."_

"_And what does that mean Cowboy?"_

"_It means let her go. I'll take them to Manhattan."_

_Spot let her go and they got into a heated argument about what to do. Makena rolled her eyes. "Hey! I'm still here!" she shouted at them._

_Spot came over and grabbed her while Jack talked to her brother. "What. The. Hel!" Makena yelled at him. "Michael!_

"_Calm down!" Spot yelled at her. "Jacky boy's taking your brother to Manhattan with him to be with the newsies."_

"_And what about me, huh?" Makena had stopped yelling and struggling but Spot kept his hold on her._

"_You can be a Brooklyn newsie."_

"_What?! Away from my brother? No way!"_

"_Well you can visit him at any time."_

_Makena looked over her shoulder at her brother. He waved to her and then he and Jack walked away. Makena turned back to Spot. "Fine." she said and he dragged her away towards an old warehouse._

"_Hurry up Flash." He said._

"_My name is Makena Jones. Not Flash."_

"_Well it's Flash now." Makena, now Flash, rolled her eyes. "Welcome to the Brooklyn Newsboys' Warehouse, Flash."_

_***End Flashback***_

_Makena's POV_

I smiled as I thought about when me and my brother were found and I started getting bored with selling my papes and getting excited to go see my brother in Manhattan (Snipeshooter).

I had only bought 20 papes today so I could get done faster and get headed to Manhattan with the girls faster. My plans weren't working very well. Today was a bad headline; and even if it was a good headline, I would still have to wait for Navy, and Tabby to finish selling. Brooklyn, Spot, and Princess would already be done. Spot and Brooklyn were the fastest sellers in all of New York, 200 papes per an hour. Princess was catching up quickly, at 50 papes per an hour. Princess and Brooklyn were the most highly trained selling partners in all of New York, and probably everywhere else too.

Princess, Brooklyn and Spot all sold a block away from each other, Brooklyn and Princess sometimes selling together with the occasional help of Spot for the pity stories. Princess was the youngest of the Brooklyn bunch and was often envied by other brooklynites because her and Brooklyn got most of Spot's attention. Most loved her as a sister but there were always a couple of those who were 'glum and dumb'. Princess was better than most at selling, she had only been selling for a little less than a year. She was Spot's little Christmas miracle when Brooklyn found her a little after we had found Navy last year.

I finished my selling and then walked towards the docks to wait for the others.

**So there's the third chapter… I really like reviews that tell me how you like it or if I'm doing good or not and I really appreciate them! :)**


	4. Chapter 4: Tales of Escapes

**So… late merry Christmas, and early happy new year! I feel like it's been forever…**

**Disclaimer: I Don't own newsies… Disney does… I only own my character Brooklyn, and half of Princess, the rest of the characters belong to others as well…**

Chapter 4: Tales of Escapes…

***Flashbacks***

_December 1897_

_The sun streamed in through the small window and, as usual, nine year old Lacy was awakened by the frightening clatter being thrown by her father while her mother screamed curses at him. She couldn't enjoy just one morning? Nope. She lay back down in her bed and tried to think of how she was going to go about what she was going to do that night, as she remembered events from the past. _

_July 1892_

"_Lacy darling, let's go to the lake." A drunken Elizabeth called to her four year old daughter who was currently upstairs watching her brother clean up cuts and bruises on his body from the earlier beating he had received from his father._

"_Coming Mama!" little Lacy called back._

"_No. Lacy don't go." Her eight year old brother warned._

_She ignored him. "Bye Leam, bye Daddy." She called as she ran out the door to catch up with her mother._

"_No! Lacy!" Leam called and started running after them only to be stopped by a drunken Max._

"_Where the hell do you think you're going you little bastard?!" he grabbed him by his hair and dragged him back into his room. "Let your mother finish her business." Sean dodged his father's first blow and started running._

"_Are we going swimming mommy?" Lacy asked._

"_Yes darling." Her mother replied._

_They arrived at the lake which Courtney had told both Sean and Lacy was the most beautiful lake in all of Ireland, not that she had been any other place in her short 12 years. Its water was kind of dirty but was the prettiest lake Courtney had ever known. Leam and Lacy had found a lake that was prettier and Lacy began to daydream about it._

_Lacy and Leam were walking through the forest playing hide and go seek. Lacy ran ahead to go hide as Leam started counting to fifteen. She ran and leaned onto what she thought was a wall of vines. But she fell through it, into an open field with a lake in the middle. There were trees everywhere totally blocking it off from everything else, and the greenest grass she had ever seen. The water was the clearer than the skies were on the brightest of days. Leam walked by the vines and Lacy jumped out at him and pulled him towards the water with her. They ran and jumped in. Leam rose back to the top but Lacy felt something holding her under_

_In her daydream Lacy had failed to realize her mother bring her to the water and start to hold her under. She tried to find air but there was none. The last thing the she remembered was her mother's hands being pried away from her neck and her brother's face of worry as he pulled her out of the water, before the little girl's world went black._

_September 1897_

_Lacy remembered that day all too well; the day her mother had tried to drown her. The day her Leam had saved her and become the only one she could trust in this awful world. The only one who understood her. Who made her a kid again; not a child who had grown up too fast. She also vividly remembered the night Leam had left and what had happened the day after it._

_June 1892_

_After Leam, her older brother, left late last night to catch a boat to America, she'd tried to sleep, but her mind spun. She had tried to muffle her tears in her pillow. The reason he left made her cry even more. He figured his parents would stop blaming him for their older sister Courtney's death of Scarlet Fever and leave Lacy alone. Hell was he wrong. Things only got worse._

_Her mind wandered to their conversation the previous night..._

_It was late, almost midnight. Her parents were passed out in a drunken stupor. He had held her hand and squeezed tightly. She sniffled softly as he began packing. "I guess you're tired of them blaming you." Lacy had whispered to him._

_Leam swore under his breath. "This has nothing to do with them blaming me," he said sharply. He wasn't mad at her. He was afraid for her. "How can I stay here and have them use me as a punching bag?"_

_"It wasn't your fault Courtney got sick. Maybe Mama and Daddy are just tired-"_

_"You don't understand, Lacy. I wish you could, but you just don't." Leam said softly. Lacy looked down at her hands and sighed. "And the sick thing is that now you are going to be alone here." Lacy breathed in sharply. She felt tears forming in her eyes. She remembered when her mother had tried to drown her when she was younger and Leam had stopped her. But now he wouldn't be there._

_Leam bit his lip and a glassy wall of water shaded his stormy eyes. He looked up at the ceiling to keep the tears from rolling down. "I'm so sorry." He said, choking over his words. Lacy clung to her older brother. He was her only defense, her protector._

_"We have to keep faith in each other," Lacy said, her lip quivering. She had grown up too fast for Leam's taste._

_"How can you say that? After all they've done to us-"  
"Because we're stronger than that, Leam. You're a fighter, and if there's one thing you've taught me is to keep faith in one another. To keep hoping." Lacy whispered, tears rolling down her rosy cheeks._

_Leam tucked a strand of golden hair behind her ear. "I promise you, I will do everything, everything in my power to bring you back to me." His breathing became ragged and almost painful. "I love you." He said, his voice cracking from the tears he was unsuccessfully holding back._

_"I love you too, Leam." Lacy managed to say between tears. He softly kissed her cheek and hugged her tightly. He made his way over to the fire escape. "I'll come back for you, Lacy, I promise." And then he was gone._

_Lacy had cried herself to sleep that night. When she awoke there was zero sleep in her fuel tank when her parents were to find out about him running away, Lacy knew she would be in trouble for keeping the secret. And things were only going to get worse once they started drinking. As the morning wore on, her feelings got more dreaded. She pulled the thin blanket up to her nose and shivered. Leam had always chided her for being immature and paranoid, but she couldn't help it. She kept thinking that Leam had not made it to America. She crept into the main room and saw her parents 'asleep' at the old, beat up table; which was odd because her mother was usually out working in the brothel at this time and her father was either at work getting drunk or out with friends getting drunk. Her worst fears flooded her. Had they found out that Leam had run away?_

_"We've been waiting for ya."_

_Lacy jumped. At the kitchen table where her parents were awake and not very happy. Her mother's face was pale and drained and her dad's cheeks were beet red. Her mother's eyes were red and puffy. Lacy swallowed hard. So much for praying nothing would happen to her._

_"Sit down, now," her father said quietly._

_Lacy scraped back a chair and sat next to her mother. The room was still and silent, she could hear her stomach nervously spinning._

_"I don't even know what to say," her mother croaked. "How dare he leave?"_

_Lacy's stomach dropped. She opened her mouth but her mother stopped her. "You have no right to say anything."_

_Lacy clamped her mouth shut and lowered her eyes._

_"Honestly," her father said. "I am so mortified that rat was my weak willed son right now. And you didn't tell us he ran away. I thought we taught you two not to sass your betters."_

_Lacy nervously twirled her dirty blonde hair and tried to stop her chin from wobbling._

_"What were you thinking?" Her mother asked. "That we wouldn't find out he was missing? We needed him to work in the factory so he could bring home money. And you're just as worse for not telling us."_

_"I-" Lacy started._

"_I mean . . ." Her mother interrupted, then wrung her hands and looked down._

_"You're only five, which means we're legally responsible for you. But if it were up to me, I'd send you to live with the Sisters of the Sacred Heart convent reformatory school and see if the nuns could straighten you out." Her father said._

_"I wish I never had to see either of you or your stupid brother again." Her mother spat._

_Lacy felt faint. They couldn't even look at her. Her father's words stung in her ears._

_"One thing's for certain; I'm sending some of my friends from work to search for the boy," her father continued. "If he's smart, he'll let them take him back here. I don't care if they have to knock him out, he will be returned."_

_"No!" Lacy yelled._

_"Yes!" Her mother shot back._

_"Please don't hurt him." Lacy began crying for her older brother._

_Her mother rolled her eyes. "Rot in hell, bitch. Just get out of our sight." Her mother took a drink from her whiskey. Her father sent his burly, abusive friends to hunt for Leam._

_September 1897_

_Lacy shivered at the thought of her first beating which took place that day. She went through the day in a mechanical way, and waited for the night to come._

_She lay in her bed shivering. She crept out of bed, wiping her tears. She got dressed and began packing what little things she owned. She slipped on her boots and stepped over to the door. Suddenly, her father stirred and sat up. He shouted at her, causing Lacy to jump. Her mother woke up, and turned to her husband. "Deal with her." She spat._

_Lacy's father grabbed Lacy by her hair and shouted dreadful things at her while he took her back to her room._

_"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She kept screaming as she was crying._

_"Trying to run away are we? Is that what you were doing? Running away?"_

_"I'm sorry, Daddy!" She cried, as he pulled her hair harder._

_"Trying to outsmart me, were ya?" He threw her on her bed. "You'll stay here 'till ya die, you bitch!" He yelled, making the room shake. He punched her in the nose._

_She touched her bleeding nose and cried harder. "Please, Daddy!" She screamed through her tears. "I hate it here!"_

_Her father turned to her and took off his belt. "What have I told ya?"_

_Lacy's eyes grew wide and cold with fear. She hid under her thin, ragged blanket._

_"What have I told ya?!" He yelled again, smacking her back under the blanket with his belt. Her screams were muffled by the blanket. If Leam were here, he would've pushed her father away and would've taken the beating himself. "What have I told ya?!" He repeated, striking her note violently. He flung the blanket off her, and grabbed her face so it was close to his. "You've got no home. You've got no father. You've got no mother. You killed us both, ya bitch. You and your brother were the worst things that ever happened to me! You try to run away again and I'll cripple ya! I swear to God." He let go of her and began leaving the room._

_Lacy kept crying. Once the coast was clear, she flung herself out of bed, opened the window to the fire escape and left. She could hear the sound of her father and mother getting up, but she didn't stop running till she reached the docks. Quickly, she jumped inside a crate being lifted onto the boat to New York and was lifted onto the ship. From there, she was brought to America where Lacy Shay Conlon set out to find her brother; she just prayed to god that she could find him and that he was there._

_December 1897_

_Lacy Conlon stepped off the boat from Ireland and onto Ellis Island soil. She was finally here. Finally in America. Finally able to search for Leam._

_After going through security she started wandering and somehow would up on the Brooklyn streets. She wandered through the streets and accidentally wandered into an alley. Big mistake._

_Two boys lurked at the end of the alley and spotted the small nine year old wandering. They advanced towards her and she retreated. They didn't talk which made Lacy even more nervous and scared. She tripped and tried to scramble away from them but they just snickered and grabbed her. Her heart was beating as loud as possible and she tried to pull away and just when she thought she was done for, a rock flew past her and smacked one on her attackers in the arm causing him to let go of her and then a second rock hit the other attacker._

_"I would let her go if I were you." a girl stood at the end of the alley with a slingshot in her hand. Lacy ran towards her savior and away from the two evil men. "Remember the last tried to pull something on a girl on Brooklyn territory, Delancy?" her savior was wearing boy clothes which Lacy thought was very odd._

_"Well, well, well. If it isn't little miss Brooklyn? How's Spot doing Brooklyn?" one of the boys asked._

_Brooklyn rolled her blue eyes and flipped her light brown hair out of her eyes. "Not that it's any of your business but he's doing quite fine actually but I'm almost positive that when he hears a couple of goons from Manhattan were here trying to pick on a little Irish girl, that he's gonna soak both of ya to an inch of your lives and he won't be so merciful with that cane of his like when he saved me."_

_That sure made them sprint out of that alley with their tail between their legs. Whoever this Spot was, he must have been dangerous. Great._

_Brooklyn made a motion for Lacy to follow her out of the alley and down the street. "What's your name kid?" Brooklyn said suddenly making Lacy jump._

_"L-Lacy." Lacy stuttered._

_"Well Lacy, I'm Brooklyn. I can tell that you're new here so I'll take you to Spot, and he'll know what to do." she said nicely._

_"Well he doesn't sound very nice." Lacy said quietly._

_"Don't worry Lacy, he's got a soft spot for Irish girls, I mean he took me in and let me share his room._

_"But how did you know-"_

_"I know Irish when I see it."_

_Lacy smiled slightly and then realized they were at some docks. Docks, water... Lacy gulped and clung to Brooklyn as they walked past at least thirty boys all staring at them. Either curiously at Lacy or respectably at Brooklyn. Brooklyn led her to the end of the docks and to a stack of crates with a boy on the top crate._

"_Hey Spot! C'mere real quick." Brooklyn called._

"_Sure Brookie." He came down and stood in front of her not noticing me yet. I took the time to look at him; and realization hit me. He looked just like Leam, but an older slightly more guarded Leam._

"_Leam?" I whispered. His eyes flashed a bit. "Leam!" I let go of Brooklyn and jumped up and hugged him. He caught me and hugged back._

"_Lacy?" he said with hope. I nodded through my tears and into his shoulder. "Oh Lacy." He said and hugged me tighter._

_He let me down and turned back to Brooklyn and gave her a hug, which she returned. "Where did you find her?" he asked._

"_Found her fresh off the boat wandering the alley with the Delancys closing in." Brooklyn smiled. "How do you know each other?"_

"_Oh right, sorry." Leam coughed. "Brooklyn, this is Lacy, my little sister. Lacy, this is Brooklyn, my second in command." Brooklyn laughed and Lacy giggled._

***End Flashbacks***

Princess' POV

"Princess c'mon hurry up." Brooklyn called to me as we were walking to our selling spot.

"Coming." I called back hurrying to catch up with her and Spot.

We finally got to our selling spots and I quickly sold my twenty papers to women who felt bad because of my 'cough'. And then I ran over to Spot.

"Hey, hey Spot!" I called as he finished selling the last of his fifty papes to some girls.

He smiled at me. "How's it rollin' Princess?" he pulled me into a side hug.

"Can we please go to Manhattan now? Please!? I haven't been since before the strike and I really wanna see Jack! Please?" I begged and pulled on his sleeve.

He pried me off of him. "Is Brooklyn done?" I nodded enthusiastically. "Fine, then we're going to the docks first to pick up the others." He said.

I jumped up and down and ran a few strides before turning around and looking at him not moved. "Well are you coming?" I asked impatiently.

"Yeah I'll be right there." He chuckled. "Go get Brookie."

I smiled and sprinted to Brooklyn's selling spot. I grabbed her hand and pulled her all the way to the docks. She slowed me down to a walk once we got onto the docks, not wanting me to fall. We walked to the throne of crates where Spot sat on the top crate. How he got there so fast I do not know.

Brooklyn went and sat next to Spot on the top crate, and I joined them a few crates below. I sat quietly as they began talking business. And then I saw Flash sitting down on the nearly empty docks.

"Flash!" I yelled and scrambled down from the crates and over to her.

"Heya Princess." She said with a smile.

"Hey. Can you please please please help me get Spot and Brooklyn to take me to Manhattan now!?" I asked pleadingly.

"Sweetie we have to wait for Navy and Tabby to get here."

"Ugh they do they always take forever?" I asked.

"Yup" Brooklyn said. Whoa where did she come from. "Ever since we found them in that alley last year."

"Inseparable since." Came the voice of Tabby from behind me. I jumped slightly and turned to see Tabby and Navy. "So are we going?"

"No! I want to hear the story!" I said sitting down with my legs crossed looking up at them with hopeful eyes.

"Oh ok." Tabby said sitting down and she looked at Navy who satdown next to her.

"Fine… well I was a from a very hoity toity type of family. Mom was always trying to set me up with real hoity toity girls too. I never really liked them, always seemed to snobby. There was one family with a very pretty daughter who my mother was relentless in trying to get me to court her." Tabby blushed at the mention of the 'pretty girl'.

_***Flashback***_

_October Brooklyn 1898_

"_James Sebastian Tuck! There is a beautiful young lady out there. Go make nice with her." James' mother called to him._

"_Yes mother. I'll be right out." He called as he headed for his balcony with a small bag of belongings. He jumped off of his balcony and landed silently on the ally floor under his window. James looked up one last time "Well goodbye life I never wanted." He said as he wiped his normally neat light-brown/blonde hair out his face and walked down the alley._

_He leaned against the alley across the street from his parent's mansion and looked through the front window at his parents and the Allister's having a conversation at the dinner table. With light green eyes, James watched his mother excuse herself and make her way towards his room to come back only a minute later to grab his father with tears running down her face. He knew what she was telling him: Their only son, James Sebastion Tuck was gone. He watched as the Tuck's ran upstairs closely followed by the Allister's and their son; leaving their daughter Kelsie Allister to sit at the dinner table alone._

_He watched her closely, she was the only one of the girls that his mother tried to set him up with that he actually thought was pretty. She was quiet but was quite snobby when she talked, but there was that mysterious quality about her that he just couldn't shake. He looked back to where she was but she was no longer there._

"_Looking for someone?" a girls quiet voice said from behind him. He jumped and turned._

"_Oh it's you Kelsie." He sighed, she really wasn't so snobby when they were alone. "You scared me."_

"_Sorry." She said looking down. "I didn't mean to. I kind of do that a lot."_

"_It's fine." He said lifting her head back up, looking into her green and brown eyes and giving her a small smile which she returned. "You're just quiet and sneaky, like a little tabby cat."_

"_I don't think I've ever been told that before." She smiled._

"_Well that's what you kinda remind me of." He brushed her light-brown/blonde hair out of her face. If people didn't know better they would think they were brother and sister, they had the same hair color and almost the same eyes._

_She giggled. "So what are you doing out here?"_

"_No reason. You?"_

"_Same reason." She said with a shrug._

_I nodded and started walking. She followed silently behind. "You know I'm never going back there right?" James asked after they had stopped in an alley and sat down._

_She nodded. "I don't wanna go back there. Ever." They were silent now. Not an uncomfortable silence either, just an 'I understand you don't wanna talk' silence._

_***End Flashback***_

Tabby's POV

"Yeah and that's where Flash found us" I said. "In that alley, sleeping." I looked at Navy and he smiled.

Princess clapped. "That's a good story." She smiled a bid smile and then jumped up. "Alright! Let's go! To Manhattan!" she pointed to Manhattan and helped us get up.

Spot groaned as she made him get up. "Really Lacy? You made us sit down and now we have to get up?"

"Oh come on Spot. Be a good sport, get up, and take your little sister to Manhattan." Brooklyn said with pleading eyes knowing that he would give in to her. "Please for me." She kissed his cheek.

"Eww." Princess said covering her eyes, while everyone else just rolled their eyes.

"Oh fine." Spot said before leading the way towards the bridge.

I laughed as Navy pulled me closer and whispered that they were disgusting into my ear. Me and Navy strolled ahead as we reached the bridge and we listened to Brooklyn lightly humming from beside us.

Brooklyn had to be the most interesting of our group… she was the second youngest, at 14, and was always singing or dancing, unless she was fighting or stealing. Yup, had to be the most interesting. At 17 and 16, Navy and I were the most quiet and, as Princess called it, mysterious. At 16 and 14, Spot and Flash were our cocky egotistical bastards. Rosie was our good natured responsible adult figure, even though she was only 16. Princess was the youngest, at the age of ten, and always the little sweetheart who appealed to everyone.

We were an interesting group of friends from Brooklyn, and that's not even counting our friends from Manhattan. I grew more and more excited to see Lark, Luck, and Wings as we grew nearer… well I was excited to see Mr. Kloppman too because it was thanksgiving as well and he always had a feast prepared, and I'm sure Rosie helped with it. Mmm food.

**Alright so that's my chapter for right now… I tried to get it up on Christmas, but my computer shut down and I had an essay for school… it sucked. But if you review it makes me happier! :) so review, like yeah?!**

**-Brooklyn**


	5. Chapter 5: A New Manhattan Addition

**Hello! Happy New Year! It's 2013! Yay! This would have been up this morning but I finally got Newsies and watched it like three times! Yay! :D so yeah.. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: no not yet but I'm working on it. :D**

Chapter 5: A New Manhattan Addition

Wings' POV

_La. La la. La la la la la la la la la, la. La la. La la la la la la la la la, la. La la. L-_

"Wings!" Luck yelled.

"What?!" I asked totally shocked as I came out of the tune in my head. I looked at Luck, her short sandy blonde hair had random pieces sticking on up in the most random places. Her green eyes frustrated with my zoning out.

"Were you even listening?" She asked.

"Umm, no. Not really." I said honestly running a hand through my dark brown hair.

"Of course you weren't; you never do." She said.

"I do to listen. I listen a lot." I argued after rolling my dark brown eyes.

"Do you always have to be right?" Rosie asked coming into the room with Lark. Rosie was trying to get her brown curls to cooperate. And her green eyes showed her concentration.

"Yes. Being wrong is not allowed for her." Lark said with amusement in her deep green eyes. Her hair was, as normal, close to perfect brown curls.

"Nope. I'm never wrong." I said smiling. "Now what were you saying Luck."

She rolled her eyes. "Brooklyn gang's on their way."

"Yay! Brooklyn!" Little eleven year old Les said.

"Youse wanna come with us Les?" Mouth asked as he, Jack, Mush, Race and Crutchy walked in.

"Yeah! Wait we're going to Medda's right?" Les asked.

"Yeah Les." Race said. "It's Poker night. So let's get goin. C'mon c'mon c'mon."

I rolled my eyes and joined Mush as we walked out.

"Wait I gotta pick up Charlotte from Tibby's." Jack said. Mouth slightly stiffened he was still getting used to Charlotte. David was still getting used to Cowboy and Sarah's breakup and Cowboy dating a new girl.

Charlotte, or Sweetie, was a waitress at Tibby's and Cowboy was slowly teaching the fourteen year old (as of today) to be a newsie. Charlotte Elissa was, as her newsie name implies, a real sweetie. She had long light brown hair and light blue eyes. She had only ever met the Manhattan newsies and was excited to meet the Brooklyn newsies which Cowboy had promised for her birthday today. So we were taking her to poker night. Every Thursday rain or shine, it was poker night. Spot, Brooklyn, Navy, Tabby, Flash, Rosie, Mouth, Race, Lark, Crutchy, Luck, Jack, Mush and I. Princess used to come all the time but hadn't since before the strike and this was the first time that Sweetie and Les were coming, we figured Princess and Les would get along.

The whole time I had been thinking and had just realized that we had made it to Tibby's. I looked into the window and saw Sweetie with a boy who looked like he hadn't eaten in at least a week. The boy had dark red hair and dark brown eyes. A little rat peeked its head out of his pocket, it didn't really bother us since we've all slept with the rats at one point and he seemed to know it was there so when we walked in I didn't say anything.

The boy was quiet while Jack and Charlotte had a small conversation that I got snippets of. "Skittery and Tumbler found him in the Battery Park. He was dead asleep. Brought him here. Looked pretty bad. Thought you could help him."

"Hey kid what's your name?" I asked the boy.

When he spoke I was surprised that he had a very thick Yorkshire accent. "I'm Christopher Taylor, but they call me Cider."

"Who's they?"

"Everyone."

"Okay then short answers are fine. I get it don't wanna talk." I said feeling disregarded. "Well we don't have time to go back to the Lodging house so we can just take him. Let him know Brooklyn."

"Sure." Crutchy said. "Let's go. C'mon Cider."

Me and mush were the first ones out of Tibby's and as the rest filed out I was reminded of something. "Oh Sweetie."

"Yeah?" she said wiping her side bangs from her face.

"Happy fourteenth birthday." I smiled the more I looked at her the more she looked like Brooklyn.

"Thanks." She said smiling back. I laughed and we continued our walk to Medda's.

…

"Never fear Brooklyn's here." Brooklyn said as she walked into Medda's with Princess in front of her, Spot at her side, and was followed by Flash, Navy and Tabby.

"Gosh Brooklyn. Odd child." I said.

"Hey I'm not that young." She argued.

"Yeah; yeah." I said. "Happy fourteenth Rookie."

She smiled. "Fourteen and loving it!" she laughed. "And it's Brooklyn, not Rookie."

"Don't fight the names Brookie." Spot said. "Brooklyn you just gotta learn to take it." She smacked him playfully and accused him of being the reason of all the unnecessary nicknames. He just laughed and kissed her.

"Alright guys." Jack said pulling them apart. "We have children present." Bringing Les forward.

I immediately saw Les and Princess share a look of admiration. They shyly smiled at each other before they were ushered off to play while we played poker.

"So everyone, this is Cider and Sweetie. Cider, Sweetie, this is Brooklyn, Spot, Flash, Navy, and Tabby. The Brooklyn newsies." Sweetie went around and greeted everyone but Brooklyn. Sweetie and Brooklyn were looking at each other and it was like they were frozen.

"Kayleigh?"

"Charlotte?"

**Ta-da! Surprise! I'll leave you there, if you can figure out how they know each other than great! I left hints… now excuse me as I go watch Newsies. Please review while I'm gone. :)**


	6. Chapter 6: Memories of The Past

**Hey there… well life sucks cause I'm back in school and have homework. Well anyway here is another chapter that I wrote during English today (I got very bored) and I know that it's short so I apologize for that, but I'm trying, I really am; I just can't think of what to write at the moment, but I have some ideas that I'm trying to make work. So I have a favor to ask you… if you could possibly read and review on my younger sister's first newsies fanfic that would be great! She really loves and enjoys writing and I love her writing, but she doesn't think it's very good. The story is 'A Normal Life: 1897 Style' by xoxoStars-Wonder. I will love you guys forever if you do this. So please please please! And thank you! So without further ado…**

**Disclaimer: I own Charlotte/Sweetie, Kayleigh/Brooklyn, and half of Princess. The rest belongs to other's or Disney… ****Stupid Disney.**

Chapter 6: Memory of The Past

Sweetie's POV

I looked at Brooklyn. It was like looking at a mirror, like looking at my lost sister. "Kayleigh?" I asked more to myself than her.

"Charlotte?" she asked in an equally shocked voice.

I got tears in my eyes and just flew into her arms. "Oh Kay." I all but sobbed into her shoulder.

She stroked my hair. "Shh. It's okay Char; it's okay I'm here now." I could hear her relief from finally finding me.

I pulled away and smiled at her. "Where have you been?" I started interrogating. "What have you been doing? Do you have a job? How do you know Jack? Where do you-"

"Char, calm down." She cut me off with a laugh. "Brooklyn, selling papes, yes, I'm a newsie too, and I live in Brooklyn. Now; youse wanna answer those questions for me?"

I laughed and started listing the answers, "Manhattan, working at Tibby's, yes, I'm a newsie, and I live in Manhattan."

"Whoa, hold up." Spot interrupted our sisterly catch-up.

"How do you know each other?" Jack asked.

"We're sisters." Kayleigh and I said at the same time. We giggled, our twin telepathy was back.

"Whoa. If that wasn't creepy, then I don't know what is." Flash said.

Me and Kayleigh high-fived. "The Elissa twins are back together again." I said.

"Lord help this world." Kayleigh joked and we burst into laughter, and the rest of us groaned.

"And we thought one Brooklyn was bad, imagine two. What ya doin bringin anuddah round heah foah?" Navy asked with a half joking half serious tone.

"I despise being called 'another Kayleigh' I am Charlotte Jamie Elissa. Not Kayleigh Cosette Elissa." I said knowing full well that Kayleigh hated her middle name.

"Say that one more time see what happens." She threatened.

I put my hands up in surrender. "A'ight, fine."

"So since its Charlotte and Kayleigh's birthday and we were all dragged into a surprise family reunion. I think we deserve the treat of a song from these beautiful young ladies." Spot said smirking.

Kayleigh smiled at me and pulled me into the corner with her. "Mom's song?" she whispered and I nodded before we went back to the tables and stood on them. Cider, Flash, Crutchy, Luck, Jack, Les, Princess, Mouth, Rosie, Mush, Wings, Navy, Tabby, Race, Lark and Spot all looked expectantly at us and waited for us to start singing.

"And now," Spot said. "The lovey Brooklyn and Sweetie have a song to treat us with on their fourteenth birthday."

Me and Brooklyn smiled at each other before starting the song that our mother had used as a lullaby.

**There is a castle on a cloud. I like to go there in my sleep. Aren't any floors for me to sweep. Not in my castle on a cloud.**

_**There is a room that's full of toys. There are a hundred boys and girls. Nobody shouts or talks too loud. Not in my castle on a cloud.**_

_There is lady all in white, holds me and sings a lullaby. She's nice to see, and she's soft to touch. She say's Cosette, I love you very much._

_**I know a place where no-one's lost. I know a place where no-one cries. Crying at all is not aloud. Not in my castle on a cloud.**_

We took a bow and everyone cheered their loudest. I missed our mother singing to us. She hadn't sung since before our father had died; it was a miracle we remembered her songs.

"Hey who else can sing?" Race called out jokingly. We smiled and laughed some more. _I think I like the Brooklyn newsies. _I thought to myself.

Princess' POV

I looked around at everyone laughing and having a good time and smiled. Someone came up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder. I turned with my fists up about to punch.

I saw Les with his hands up. "Sorry." He squeaked out.

"It's okay. It's just an automatic reaction." I said. I really didn't mean to scare him, I mean he was kinda cute.

"Wanna play?" he asked producing two wooden swords from behind his back.

I cocked my head to the side. "What kind of question is that?" I asked grabbing the sword and getting into a fighting stance. He laughed and copied my stance. We started the fight. We fought while we laughed. I suddenly got lost in his eyes.

"Gotcha." He said poking me in the side with his sword. I faked death and he caught me.

I closed my eyes. "Oh no. The Princess is down. Get the Prince." I opened my eyes slightly and he was leaning down to try and kiss me, now I may be only ten but I know when someone is trying to kiss you. I was so shocked that my eyes shot open and I stood up straight, surprising him, and I stomped on his foot.

"Ow." He said and I ran off to the backstage area.

I sat there for a few minutes. _Oh it would have been nice to kiss him. _I thought. _But I was so shocked._ I thought until there was a throat cleared. I looked up to see Les nervously twisting his cap in his hands.

"Umm, Princess, listen I'm-" he started.

"It's fine. I'm sorry I stepped on your foot." I cut him off.

"It's okay." He mumbled.

"Why'd ya do it?" I asked.

"Huh. Oh, umm, well, because in the fairytales every time a princess is hurt then their true love kisses them and makes them all better." He said shyly.

"But you're not my true love." I said before adding in a mumble, "Unless you want to be."

He smiled and I turned pink. "I- um, I'm sorry though." I smiled and grabbed my sword from him and poked him.

"Well are we gonna fight?" I said with a smile. He laughed and our duel began again.

**Thank you for reading my story, and I very much appreciate reviews and PMs are welcome. Please and thank you for all who review! 3 :D**

**Xoxo Brooklyn**


	7. Chapter 7: A Date at the Docks

**Hello so I'm sorry I've been neglecting my story. But I had my laptop taken away because of a B in math. A B I mean really?! Well my mom is Asian… but when I got it back it fell of my bed so I finally got it to work now! Yay! So yeahh… on to the story…**

**Disclaimer:** **I own Charlotte/Sweetie, Kayleigh/Brooklyn, and half of Princess. The rest belongs to other's or Disney… ****Stupid Disney.**

Chapter 7: A Date on the Docks

January 1900

"Hey Brookie, you know what today is?" Spot asked me sweetly while we were finishing up selling the last of our papes that afternoon.

"Well Spot, other than a fucking freezing late November day? I do believe that it would be our six month anniversary." I said as I sold my last pape. "Thank you ma'am."

"Yes, you would be correct babe." He said coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around me.

I giggled as he kissed my neck.

"Brooklyn Spot! I sold all my papes!" Little Princess yelled running up to us.

Spot groaned as I pushed him away and picked up Princess. "Really? That's great! I think you're almost catching up to us; what do ya think Spot?"

"Uh huh" Spot said.

"Oh just wait till later." I whispered in his ear and kissed his cheek lightly.

He smirked at me and picked up Princess. "Let's go get some food okay?"

"Okay!" she smiled.

…

"C'mon you have to get ready!" Rosie said from her bed. The girls' room was small and a recent addition. It only had four bunk beds. So Tabby, Flash, Rosie, and Lacy each got a bottom bunk with and empty top bunk.

"For what?" I asked sitting down next to Tabby who was reading The History of Love by Nicole Krauss.

"Umm your date with Spot." Flash said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. She was looking through her 'box of treasures' as she called it before pulling out some spare change and putting it on her bed.

I looked down at the clothes I was wearing; Spot's navy blue long sleeve shirt, some of his old trousers and my black work boots. I knew my grey newsie cap was on and my hair was a little dirty but, I thought I was fine. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing? I mean sure I have a little dirt on my face but I thought I looked fine."

"Please sweetie it's your six month anniversary; get cleaned up a little." Rosie said.

"Wear something sexy." Flash said with a smile.

I looked to Tabby with a helpless look. She slightly looked up from her book and then looked back at it. "Flash she is fourteen, I don't believe she owns anything 'sexy'."

"I really don't." I agreed shaking my head.

"And I know Spot likes her just the way she is; he wouldn't want her any other way." Tabby said.

"Awww that's so adorable!" Flash said.

"Just like you sneaking glances at that new boy in Manhattan." Rosie joked with her.

Flash turned red. "I was not!"

"It's okay Flash we all saw you. Oh and don't worry Rosie, we all saw your stolen glances at Davey too." Tabby smiled and then took refuge under her blanket from the pillow flying across the room from Rosie's bed.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Rosie hid her reddening face in her blanket.

"I think I should go" I said ducking out of the room as Flash turned to throwing a pillow at Rosie and Rosie hit an unexpected Tabby.

"Pillow fight!" Flash yelled.

I walked out laughing and almost ran into Princess. "Oh hey Princess." I smiled.

"Hey Brooklyn where you goin?"

"I have a date with Spot. But I'm not sure what to wear."

"Why wear something special? I mean we all know he's crazy about you cause you're you."

"Okay so Little L, what's up with you and little Les?"

"Nothing." She turned red and ran into the room. There were a few screams and she ran back out with her hair in disarray and her purple button up messed up. "Those girls are monsters." She said with a scared face and her voice cracked.

I burst out laughing. "Oh it's okay I know. C'mon big eleven year old lets go get you cleaned up." I led her to my room and grabbed my brush and started tugging at her curls.

"You don't have to call me big eleven year old, it's just my birthday today. I'm not that big." She pulled. "Ow."

I laughed as I got around that knot. "Sorry. So are you gonna tell me about you and little Les?"

"Okay, so he is sooooo cute!" she smiled and covered his face being careful not to pull her head away.

"Aww, Lacy do you have a crush." I asked trying to hide my smile and pulling her hair back into French fishtail.

"No! I just think he's really cute." She smiled.

"Aww you know Princess he doesn't have a newsie name, maybe we should just start calling him Prince?" I smiled as she turned red and started furiously shaking her head. "Stop moving."

"No! No! Please don't!" she begged.

"Don't what?" I asked innocently while finishing off her braid with a purple ribbon to match her shirt.

"Red!" she called as the door downstairs slammed and a boy's voice was carried up the stairs.

The sound of stomping up the stairs could be heard as Spot and I's best friend Red ran up the stairs all the way to our room. "Hey guys." The blue-eyed boy was obviously tipsy.

"Hey Red, you did remember you were supposed to watch Princess tonight right?" I asked with my hands on my hips.

He ran an ink-stained hand through his dark red hair. "Shit I'm sorry Brook I totally forgot. I have a date with Annie."

"Annie?" I asked with my eyebrows raised.

"She works at the bakery, y'know, the one on that corner I'm always sellin on."

"Uh huh." I said thoroughly pissed at him for forgetting. "Well you better get out of here before I cut your pretty face and you can't go." That got him out of there fast. He knew I wasn't someone who went back on their word and that I could hold my own so he wasn't in my room after two seconds.

"I don't need a babysitter. I can just hang out with the girls." She said with her hands on her hips.

"I think I rubbed off on you too much."

She smiled. "Is that a good thing?"

"Yeah I need another me around. Charlotte doesn't like fun." I smiled at her and pulled her in for a hug. "Now go hang out with the girls but be careful. You know them with pillows."

"All too well." She said with a shudder. "Bye have fun!" she ran out of the room.

"I am not going to be able to dress up fancy." I said looking at my watch. "I don't have time."

I quickly threw my hat on my bed and pulled my hair up with a dark blue ribbon to match my shirt. I was out the door and running to the docks as fast as possible.

I skidded to a stop right before I reached the docks and as I walked casually down the docks I saw some candles on the dock around a nice dinner.

"Spot?" I asked.

"Hey Brookie. Happy anniversary babe." He said while wrapping his arms around me from behind me.

"Did you do all this for me?" I asked getting tears in my eyes. I know how much he hates romancey stuff so it means a lot.

"All of it and only for you. Kayleigh Cocette Elissa, I love you." He turned me around and kissed me sweetly.

I smiled at him. "Leam Sean Conlon, I love you too." I giggled as he cringed at the use of his real name. I kissed him again.

He pulled me over to the blanket that Spot had laid out for us. He pulled out some food and set it in front of us. "Sorry I'm late babe. I was helping Princess fix her hair."

"What happened with her hair?" he asked.

"Well she kinda walked into the girls room and they were in the middle of a pillow fight." He chuckled at that. "Those girls can be pretty vicious."

I laughed; "Yeah I think how Princess described them when she walked out was 'Monsters'."

We laughed for a few minutes and then began to eat. After we ate we walked to the crates, talking about whatever crossed our mind.

"Spot?" I asked just sitting against a crate.

"Yeah Brookie." He replied relaxing next to me with his arm around me.

"What's going on with Queens?" he didn't reply this time, just stiffened. "Spot?" my eyes met his and I could tell he was hiding something. "Spot, you know you can tell me anything, what is it? What's going on with Queens?"

"There's a new leader, and he's takin' a likin' to you." This time I stiffened. _It can't be, can it? _"His name is Blade, his second is Blood. And they're lookin' for war."

"There's more. Tell me." He didn't say anything. "Spot!" I snapped.

He reached into his pocket and handed me a note. "I don't understand it… but he knows your name."

I read it aloud. "Brookie, Insisted mourning Babydoll? Accusations concave Kayleigh." I dropped it. "No. No! It can't!" I dropped to the floor and started crying.

"Brookie? What is it?" Spot asked kneeling next to me.

"It's him." I said trying to breathe

"What?" he asked moving my hair away from my face.

I looked up at him. "It's him. Its Micheal."

"How do you know?" He asked suddenly getting stiff and having that protective edge to his voice.

"He would always call me Babydoll. And he said that I insisted on mourning my mom and that my accusations about him killing her wouldn't work. And he knows the codes."

He looked at me quizzically. "Codes?"

"Me and Charlotte's code system." I explained. "In a note you take the first letter of each word and it spells something. Like: Cloned Official Defying Entertaining Storytellers. That is what the tittle of our journal for codes was. It translates to Codes."

"Well then what does it say?" he asked.

"I'm back." I said shortly.

There was suddenly the sound of someone running down the dock. "Spot!" Princess' voice yelled.

"Lacy slow down!" Spot yelled just a bit too late.

"Princess!" I watched as she slipped on water and fell into the ice cold water. I shot up and jumped in after her.

I looked for her and caught a glimpse of her dirty blonde hair as she sunk lower. I started swimming.

God it was so cold!

_Princess' POV_

I was sitting next to tabby and she was reading some of The Summer Before Boys to me when someone knocked on the door.

I ran over to the door to find Red out of breath from running and he held out a letter. "Tell – Spot – there's – another." He said between breaths.

"I'll go!" I yelled and sprinted out the door towards the docks.

I had never hung out at the docks before, I couldn't swim so I felt no need to be there.

I sprinted and saw some candles at the end of the dock so I ran there.

"Spot!" I yelled out. I suddenly felt my feet slipping.

"Lacy slow down!" Spot yelled. that was the last thing I heard before landing in freezing cold water.

I tried to move but I couldn't feel anything. I started panicking and was losing my breath.

God please help me, I thought before things started fading.

**I feel bad… its short. *cries* I'm sorry. But I'll try and get it up soon. I am trying but it's hectic right now because I'm going with my school to the east coast so I have to get ready and packed and all but it's hard cause we don't have a lot of warm clothes in southern California… anyways… please please please review and PM me if you have something I could possibly use in my story. :P**

**Xoxo Brooklyn**


	8. Chapter 8: You Have to be Okay

**Alrighty now long time no see… (not really see I guess but y'all get the pic) chapter 8 comin up loves.**

**Disclaimer: Spot is mine! There I said it it's out there! I own him! He's mine! Back off! (jk I wish but seriously why? This disclaimer is like a torture device.)**

Chapter 8: You Have to be Okay…

_Lacy's POV_

"_Lacy slow down!" Spot yelled. that was the last thing I heard before landing in freezing cold water._

_I tried to move but I couldn't feel anything. I started panicking and was losing my breath._

_God please help me, I thought before things started fading._

Why is it so cold? I thought as darkness consumed me. I was feeling things but I couldn't see or hear or talk. I felt arms around me, I felt as if I was moving upwards and the I felt the sting of cold air mixing with the cold water.

I felt the hardness of the dock on my back and then nothing I couldn't feel anymore; I was just withdrawn from all my senses, consumed by an everlasting darkness.

Spot's POV

I saw Lacy's blonde hair sinking and Brooklyn desperately swimming after her.

I was about to jump in when Brooklyn started moving back towards the surface with Lacy.

I took Lacy from Brooklyn and pulled her onto the dock. I looked back down to help up Brooklyn, but she shook her head quickly.

"Get Lacy to the lodging house I'll be right there." She said.

"Promise?" I whispered.

"Promise." She assured. "Now go!" I picked up Lacy and ran to the lodging house. It only took about two minutes to get to her to the lodging house and up to the girls room.

The girls immediately began fussing over here and I watched carefully. She woke up, coughing up water. I let out a breath that I had been unknowingly holding and then it caught again.

Where was Brooklyn? She should be here by now.

I sprinted out of the room and strategically avoided slipping as I ran down the dock she wasn't even up. I looked into the water and didn't see her.

I started to panic; and then a glint from the locket I had given to her a couple months ago caught my eye. There she was slightly hanging on to the pillar trying to stay up. The tide had gone down and she couldn't reach the dock.

I reached down to her. "Grab my hand."

"I-it's s-s-so c-c-c-cold-d." she shivered out.

"Brooklyn give me your hand." She grabbed my hand and I almost flinched because it was as cold as ice. I pulled her up and held her close.

"Sp-p-ot-t." she shivered in my arms.

"Yes." I replied looking at her; her lips her purple and her face white.

"I'm s-s-so c-c-old-d."

"I know Brooklyn. Let's get you inside." She nodded and tried walking. She fell. I picked her up and tried to give her as much warmth as possible. "Please be alright." I whispered under my breath.

We got to the house and I didn't even look at anyone else I just brought her upstairs and laid her on my bed before pulling my blanket over her and added hers on top of that.

She was already asleep so I just slipped out for a couple minutes to go talk to Lacy.

"Lacy," I said as I walked into the girls' room.

"Spot?" she replied.

"You're going to Manhattan in the morning to stay with them for the day so I can watch Brooklyn and make sure she's gonna be okay, she's frozen half to death right now. So you stay warm tonight so you don't get sick and then tomorrow you stay dry and warm. Got it?" I ordered my voice leaving no room for any arguments.

"Yes Spot." She said understanding that I was obviously stressed.

I walked out and went to talk to my boys in the lobby. "Hey!" I shouted. No one paid attention. I jumped on a table and banged my cane on the poker table next to me in the middle of all the boys at the table. Everyone went quiet.

"I said; Hey!" I yelled.

"Hey Spot!" was the reply from everyone.

"So listen up. No one is to say anything about what happened with Lacy and Brooklyn to anyone. Understood?!" no reply. "Good I'm glad. Now, everyone is to go about normal routine tomorrow and no one is to bother me unless it is life or death. Understood? Life. Or . Death." No reply. "UNDERSTOOD!" I yelled. Various versions of "Yes Spot" s were heard. "Good that's all go about your business." Everyone went back to what they had been doing before I came down.

I went back up to Brooklyn and I's room. She was coughing in her sleep. I sat next to her and pulled her into me.

"Shh. Shh. It's okay Brookie. You're okay." I soothed pushing her hair back. She calmed down. I kissed her forehead before leaning against the rail of the bed.

"You have to be okay, I need you." I sighed out not taking my eyes off of her.

**Okay so I feel really really really bad for not posting just everything with my CST tests is ugh! And then all this pressure from my parents like 'if you don't do good on these CST's then you won't get good placement in highschool, and that's the first thing collages look at is your placement in freshman year!' whatever! I will be so far from California in Collage, I was thinking along the lines of NYU and then living in Brooklyn and waiting for my little sister to make it there. It's my dream. Me and my little sister in Brooklyn. About as big a dream for me as Santa Fe is for Jack. I will make it. And hey maybe I'll even get to visit my friend every once and a while who will probably end up in Boston. He's my Boston Boy and I'm his Brooklyn Gal. (that's what we call eachother). But anyway I will post again soon. Maybe even today. But I am writing this. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And yeah… see y'all soon! Mwah!**

**-Brooklyn C.**


	9. Chapter 9: Prince and Princess

**Hello again! What did I say I was gonna get another out! Okay yeah so little quick fact about me, my best friend influences me to do stupid things… a lot. So apparently by my Boston boy, I've been forbidden to speak to her because I almost got kicked out of school today because she gave me alcohol and put the bottle in my bag. Yeah so anyway it's not like y'all care anywho… on we go!**

**DISCLAIMER: Do yOu fInD It fUn tO ToRtUrE Me wItH ThIs?**

Chapter 9: Prince and Princess

Princess' POV

"Please Les." I begged. I had been put in the Jacob's house with Sarah and Les by Jack after Spot had sent me to Manhattan. I really didn't mind it all that much, but Les wouldn't play dolls with me.

"But that's so girly!" he complained. Again.

"We'll sword fight after it." He was almost swayed I smiled slightly before dropping it and putting on a puppy-dog face. "Please," I looked up at him; "For me?"

"That's not fair!" he said. I made myself look even sadder. "Ugh. Fine." He said.

"Yay!" I smiled and hugged him giving him a kiss on the cheek.

He went pink and sat on the ground picking up a doll and handing me one. _Yes goal accomplished!_

…

Cowboy's POV

I went to go pick up Princess and Les for lunch between morning and afternoon editions. I knocked on the door and Sarah called me in.

"Oh hello Jack, how are you?" Sarah put down her sewing and looked up at me. I just nodded not bothering to respond and walked to the bedroom.

I was about to open my mouth, but when I saw what was happening I stopped in my tracks.

Little Les and Princess were messing around with dolls and Princess had the brightest little smile on her face.

I cleared my throat and Les shot up.

"So Les what you up to there?" I let out a chuckle.

"N-nothin." He stumbled over his feet walking towards his bed. "I wasn't up ta nuthin."

"Okay then." I smiled and helped Princess up. "C'mon Princess let's get lunch." I looked at Les. "I guess you can come too Prince."

"Hey!" Les shouted as he followed us out the door. "Don't call me that."

…

"C'mon Prince waddya wanna eat?" I asked.

"Hey I said don't call me that!" Les said. "I don't get it." He sighed as I laughed at him. "Soup please."

I smiled as Sweetie walked out of the back. "Hey Sweetie." I waved her over.

"How may I help you lady and gentlemen?" I chuckled at her politeness.

"Yeah um can we have two regular beefs, a bowl of soup and maybe a side of your company?" I smiled kindly.

"I'll come back with your order and then we can eat and go sell afternoon." She laughed out before quickly disappearing to get the food before I could even think of a response.

…

Prince's POV

"Alright kids behave yourselves." Cowboy joked to me and Lacy as he dropped us back off at my house. I laughed and noted the awkward tension as my older sister all but threw herself on Cowboy and Sweetie looking ready to just about kill.

"Okay Cowboy." I laughed.

"Now you two kids have fun." Princess smiled and shooed them out the door.

"Alright Sarah. We'll be in the room if you need us." I said and pulled Princess along with me into the room.

She handed me a sword. "I promised." She said smiling and holding her own up.

"Okay but we're gonna do it as a story."

"Yes." She whispered. I chuckled. "Okay so you're the prince."

"And I fought an evil fire breathing dragon to get to the princess."

"But the princess had another guard!"

"So I had to fight her too." I grabbed a necklace that I had around my neck with an L engraved into the surface of one side of the heart-shaped locket and put it around her neck.

"What's that for?" she questioned picking it up slightly.

"Because you're the princess." I smiled.

"But I'm the guard." She said.

"You're the princess and the guard."

I laughed as she giggled. "But the princess had another guard."

"Herself! The princess didn't want to be saved."

"She wanted to stay in her beautiful tower."

"So she fought the prince. For she was the best fighter in all of her land and trusted no one else with her own safety."

She brought up her sword and I mirrored her and our fight began.

…

Princess' POV

I aimed for Les' side with my sword but he dodged it and pulled my sword up with his and pinned me to the dresser.

And Prince won the battle against Princess." I laughed out.

" And he won over Princess' heart."

"In your dreams Prince." I smiled at him.

"I guess I'm gonna have to get used to that name now huh?"

"Yup, looks like you're stuck with it. And me." I smiled looking into his eyes. _So beautiful._

He leaned in slightly and so did I. we were about to ki-

"Princess. C'mon Spot's waiting for you at the lodging house." Jakie-boi's voice came through.

I pulled away. "Um I got to go." I looked down. "Oh and hear's your necklace." I reached for it.

"No go ahead and keep it. I was going to give it to you anyway." He smiled at me and I blushed before running out of the room.

As we walked towards the lodging house I looked down at the heart-shaped locket with a cursive _L_ engraved into it.

Simple yet effective. I loved it; no one would ever take it from me.

Never.

**Ahhh! So I tried to get this up last night, but I fell asleep and then me being weird, woke up at 1 AM and opened my computer. Well anywho… I'm sorry it's short but I'll TRY to post today or tomorrow... it's hard! But aren't Prince and Princess cute? I think they're just adorable! And this chapter makes me love them as characters. So if you are still reading this… haha you like how I had no information on Brooklyn and Spot? Yeahhh… I do! It's yeah. So they will be in the next one, well spot will actively be in the last one and possibly Brooklyn… well anywho… see y'all soon! Mwah!**

**-Brooklyn C.**


	10. Chapter 10: Surprises in Brooklyn

**Do people read this part? No? Yes? I think I should stop writing this part... no. Never mind it's too fun! Anyway sorry I've slacked, I just have been texting this guy that I've liked for about 4 1/2 months and i found out that he's liked me for longer! I'm so happy I could scream! *screams* Well anyways I feel like a fail... I always neglect my story, well anyways I have everything in order for this story, and it would be at home... where I happen to not be as of right now... so this is just a filler chapter. Yeah well okay enough of this!**

**DIscLAimER: NO... JUst No! You Are So ME!**

Chapter 10: Surprises in Brooklyn

March 1896: Brooklyn

Spot's POV

"He's gonna get a pair of new shoes with matching laces!" Red said clapping me on the back.

"Or a personal box at Sheep's Head Races!" Matches said.

"How 'bouts a poicelain tub with boilin' water?" I suggested.

"Get youse a Saturday night with the Mayor's daughter!" Buster said while he winked at me.

"Not yet." I smiled.

"Get him what he wants!" Red exclaimed.

"He'll be the king of New York!" They all yelled lifting me and throwing me into the air.

I laughed. "I'm gonna be the king of New York!" I yelled out.

They passed me a beer bottle. "As tradition in Brooklyn for a newsie turning 12; we present you, Spot Conlon, your first drink." Buster said.

I looked at the bottle and picked it up. "Here goes nothin'" I chugged it down in a couple seconds. It burned but I earned cheers from the boys.

"Atta boy Spotty." Red said.

"Happy 12th Spot." Buster smiled at me before turning to the rowdy Brooklyn bunch. He hit his cane against the table. "'Ey shuddup will ya!"

I spoke up, "Shuddup ya bums O'Riley's talkin'!"

Everyone shut up. "Thanks bud." I nodded. "So, today's my second's 12th birthday! And you all know how Brooklyn does parties!" Everyone cheered, it was deafening. "So, let the party begin!" It got so loud that i couldn't hear my own thoughts; so I slipped outside.

I looked down the docks and looked at the water reflecting the moonlight I wanted to swim now... I looked backwards, and that's when I saw the flames.

* * *

Rosalin's POV

"Rosie!" Tommy called as I stood paralyzed as flames leaped down from the floor above.

"Rosalin! Move!" Papa pulled at me I was glued on the spot I couldn't breathe... the smoke.

"Rosalin Marie Camport!" Mama yelled at me. I snapped out of it as she shook me. "Grab your sister and run." she directed this towards Tommy. He nodded understanding and grabbed my hand pulling me along.

"Mama! Papa! No!" I cried as the floor beneath them collapsed.

"C'mon! We've got to keep moving!" Tommy grabbed me the floor before us was gone there was a man in front of the missing floor. Tommy pushed me forward and the man grabbed my arm and helped me over. I looked back to Tommy, but he was gone and so was the floor.

"TOMMY!" I screamed out. No... my family was gone. The man pushed me forward and down the stairs. At the bottom he pushed me out the door and instructed me to run. I did just that... and didn't stop.

I ran and ran until I didn't know where I was. I heard a party and then I saw a boy.

Spot's POV

A girl ran and then stopped, she was lost and judging by the soot everywhere she had been in that fire.

"'Ey, is youse okay?" I asked her. She looked frightened. "Ise Spot Conlon, Ise won't hoit youse."

"I'm Rosie," she thought for a second. "Rosie Camp-olt. Rosie Camolt."

"Need some help?"

"Y-y-yes..." she said and then coughed.

I was about to help her inside when I saw a shadow, and then a flame. "Stay here!" I yelled and then ran inside just as the wall caught.

"Everyone get out!" I screamed! Everyone shut up but nobody moved. "FIRE!" I yelled. Now they moved, running out.

I ran up as they ran out. The little ones were asleep. I woke them in a haste with Buster and we pushed them downstairs and towards the fire escape. Once they were out we started making our way most of the lodge was in flames by now but we could see the window. We ran, and then Buster fell.

"BUSTER!" I yelled. I went towards him and he handed me his cane, I set it next to me and grabbed him. He pulled away and slipped something over my head. I didn't even look at it. "C'mon Bust!"

"I can't." he coughed out. "Rule Brooklyn well." was the last thing he said before going limp.

"BUSTER! C'MON! BUSTER!" It was no use... he was gone. I picked up his cane, I wouldn't fail him. I ran for the window looking down at my neck as I did... A key. I jumped out the window flames leaping after me... I hit the ground with a thud, and that's all I remember...

* * *

April 1896: Brooklyn

No one's POV

Everyone had finally gotten used to Buster being dead, Spot being the new leader, got used to living in a warehouse instead of a lodging house, got used to the new rules that came with it, and got used to having another girl, besides Flash, around.

Things were getting better, for everyone but Spot. Spot knew it was arson and he wouldn't rest until he knew who did it.

That was his mission, that and finding out what Buster's key unlocked.

**And that would be my filler... yeah I don't really have anything to say now... except the part where I feel like crying cause of this chapter... yeah well I'll leave it there. Plz review**

**Kisses****

**~Brooklyn C.**


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